


Tell Me About Xing

by Shoulderpads



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Bonding, Gen, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of Death, Set during the camping trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 08:44:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14233590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shoulderpads/pseuds/Shoulderpads
Summary: Greed can't seem to get any rest, so he does the only thing he can think of. Distract himself."Tell me about that Xing you like so much."





	Tell Me About Xing

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so this is my first fic for this show and my first publication on this site! Yippe! I really like the idea of exploring Greed's character and how he and Ling got along so well in the end. So this might turn into a series. Keep an eye out and enjoy!

Night had fallen over the woods, and the small group's fire had long since extinguished. The silence of the night only broke from the occasional breeze that shook leaves or the soft snoring coming from one of the chimeras. Someone could almost call it peaceful, be allured to sleep as well. 

But not Greed. 

He sat a small ways away, back against a tree watching the rise and fall of his new lackeys' chests as if the repetitive movement could lull him to rest as well. However, every time his eyes slipped closed, the image of Bido's wide, betrayed eyes looked back at Greed. Without realizing it, Greed wiped his hand on his pants in an attempt to rid his fingers of the hot, sticky feeling that ghosted across them. 

_But I'm your friend!_

That's it! Greed turned inwards on himself to where Ling sat cross legged in meditation. Or at least Greed assumed that's what that was. 

"Hey brat."

Ling cracked an eye open to glare at the toothy face before him and Greed had to admit, the kid had one hell of a glare. 

"What, Greed?"

"Tell me about that Xing you like so much."

"Why should I?" Ling rested his chin on his hand, an eyebrow raised. 

"If it's worth handing over your body to me, it must be one helluva place."

Ling grinned, but it almost looked like a grimace, "You could say that," Ling stayed quiet for a few moments, "I'll tell you about Xing if you let me out more often."

Greed let the idea roll around in his mind. Letting the kid out more could work. Greed needed a break from Ed's short temper sometimes, and the two chimeras were total stiffs. Plus, if it got Ling to whine less, it was worth it. 

"Ok Dingaling, you've got yourself a deal. So spill."

Ling flopped onto his back and twiddled his thumbs over his stomach, "Well. Xing is a big country. Puts Amestris to shame really. So it has a lot of different weather, but where I come from it's pretty warm and humid. There's a rainy season where it pours and pours. That's the best. The rain here is cold and pelts you, but back home the rain is warm and soft. There's flatland but also hills, mountains, and plateaus in different parts. I went to the mountains once. I hated it," Ling almost laughed to himself, "it was so cold and the air was thin and scratched at your throat! The view was nice, you could see rolling hills and all the little flags that hung between the mountain clans' buildings in all their different colors, but I think I'd rather live among the grass."

"So that's what you want to get back to so badly? Some hills?"

Ling let out a huff, "You know that I'm seeking the throne."

"Yeah, but I can tell you aren't doing it power's sake. You don't want to be emperor or whatever just to emperor. So what gives?"

Ling searched the monstrous face of the homunculus before sighing, "Xing is run on a clan system. There are fifty of them and they're anything but united. The emperor takes a wife from each clan and has an heir with each woman-"

"Whoa! That's a lot of women! No wonder you want to go back!"

Ling sat up and scowled, "That's not what it's like! Sure they're all his 'wives,' but it's not like they're treated as such! The emperor's advisers pick out a woman from each clan based on traits they think will make a good heir. My mom was picked for her cunning, for example."

Greed laughed, "I'm not sure it passed on! Not sure someone with cunning would be where you're at right now."

Ling rolled his eyes and showed Greed his middle finger in a gesture Ed told him was offensive in Amestris. 

"Oh-ho kid! Oof, you got me there!" Greed laughed, his white eyes screw shut, "Ok, ok, go on."

Ling crossed his arms over chest, "As I was saying, the emperor's advisers pick out a wife for him from the different clans. They pretty much only see each other to conceive and once it's confirmed that the wife is carrying a healthy baby, they pretty much never see each other again. My mom hasn't seen my father since. Me? Never met the guy."

"So it's not all fun and orgies huh?"

"Uck, no. I mean what the emperor does in his free time is his business, but the wives are strictly duty."

"So...how do you guys pick who's next? I know you had to figure out immortality, but what about the past guys?"

"It's always different criteria. Sometimes it's just last heir standing. The Xingese have always been captivated by immortality. That's why alkahestry was developed, to find some Elixir of Life. Past emperors ate mercury because it was thought to garner immortality."

"Yikes."

"Yeah."

"So if you bring the secret to immortality back to your pops, then won't he stay on the throne?"

Ling smirked, "Yes, well who is currently the immortal one in this situation? Me or him?"

"Uhhh me actually. Because this body is mine."

Ling blew his bangs out of his eyes, "Still working out the kinks in the plan."

Greed laughed, "Anyway, so you don't like the wives thing, and all you've done so far is complain about the job you want so bad, so what gives?"

"I'd like to change it."

"Uh-huh," One of Greed's eyes opened wider as if he'd raised a brow. 

Ling's face sobered. His eyes had a steel and focus to them Greed couldn't recall seeing more than once or twice, "The clan system is a problematic one. I've grown up my whole life dealing with assassination attempts. I spent my fifth birthday not playing and receiving gifts but receiving stitches for a stab wound in my ribs," he pulled aside the open coat to reveal the thin scar there, "I've known the feeling of a sword or knife in my hands for as long as my arms could carry their weight. I didn't go to school with the other children in the Yao clan. I had a personal tutor who taught me rigorous courses in politics, culture, and customs in the hopes that my teacher might educate me better than the tutors of my half-siblings. I watched kids play with juggling sticks and chase each other around and wished that could be me and Lan Fan, but she spent her whole life learning how to best protect me instead of going to school either, she could never be my 'friend' because it's her duty to keep me safe. Not play games with me or be a kid. My skin is marked more than someone my age should be and it would be more if she and Fu weren't so good at their jobs. She doesn't have a left arm because of her duty to protect me and my ambition to succeed!" Ling's fingers found their way into his hair, a slight tremor on his shoulders and wide eyes stared at the ground. He quickly schooled himself. 

"The clans vie for power because it is the only way to ensure they are protected. The Chang clan, for example, has struggled and clung on by their teeth for decades if not longer. Clans gets desperate and attack each other for land and resources they desperately need while the emperor uses his power to live lavishly and make sure Xing prospers and is cared for, but he doesn't care the _Xingese_. He doesn't care that his children try to kill each other, I'm lucky to have gotten this far. I know of so many who weren't as lucky. He doesn't care about how his people don't coexist. From the outside Xing is prosperous and thriving, but it sits on top of a crumbling foundation. I have to change that. I have to unite the clans, make peace, make sure everyone is protected. An emperor is nothing without his people...and I intend to give a damn about them."

Greed remained silent. He didn't expect this out of the pissant. He seemed so nonchalant most of the time, determined to succeed in his quest, sure, but...his passion, his desperation. The kid didn't seem like the kind to shake up a well established political system anyway. 

"Besides, the system is so preposterous. What if one of my half-sisters were to claim the throne? Surely they'd not have her produce a heir for each clan," Ling laughed an airy sound, light and full of mirth. His chin rested on his palm once again, eyes relaxed closed and a broad smile crossed his face with humor. 

Ah. 

There it was. 

The mask. 

Greed's slightly agape mouth stretched into his own smile, hearty laughs joining the gesture, "Well kid you've certainly got your eyes on the prize. Maybe you're more like me than I thought."

"Pfft. Please. I want power to help people, you just want to have," Ling's smile thinned, mischief falling on his face.

"Hey being greedy doesn't have to mean you're doing it for the wrong thing! And I know what it's like to want to help people. You sound like you want your people to be the best they can be. I want the best things too."

"Perhaps _you're_ more like _me_ than you thought."

"Wh-hey, now you just wait a second! I'm not a pissant like you!"

Ling clutched his middle and fell back with laughter, "Look in a mirror sometime!"

Greed scoffed and paused a moment, "Well...I guess we both have eyes bigger than our stomachs. You wanting to rule Xing, me the world. At least I dream big."

Ling kicked his legs in the air and brought them back down as he sat up, "Speaking of that, you should let me out for breakfast. The suns almost up."

"And why the hell would I do that?"

"Because you and I made ourselves a deal," Ling raised an eyebrow in triumph.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like what you see, come hang out with me at Shoulderpads-mcgee2 on tumblr


End file.
